Have you ever wondered what happens to all those street banners that hang on lamp posts all over Center City?
These banners promote various events including: the Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia Art Museum’s exhibitions, or Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza performance, just to name a few. Instead of throwing these banners away to live in a landfill for years to come, Center City District has found an environmentally conscious solution to the problem: city banners are now being recycled into stylish tote bags.
These banner bags are one-of-a-kind, carry-all totes. One banner produces four bags, and each one displays a different pattern and color. You can’t go wrong with these bags because they represent Philadelphia’s vibrant culture.
All manufacturing is completed in the city by two non-profit work rehabilitation programs, which employ people with disabilities, those in recovery, parolees, and the homeless.
First, they are washed by Philacor, a training program of the Philadelphia Prisons System. Philacor then delivers the clean banners to Baker Industries, a non-profit work rehabilitation program, that transforms the swaths of fabric from banners to totes.
Banner Bags are available at the following locations:
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (128 North Broad St.)
- Open House (107 South 13th Street)
- PA General Store (Reading Terminal Market)
- Café Cret (16th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway)
For more information about the banner bags, or to inquire about selling them in your store, contact KellyAnn Farrelly, Center City District Manager of Banners/Art in Transit Programs at 215-440-5527.
